Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address in the 80th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 29.08.2021
My dear countrymen, Namaskar. All of us know that today is the birth anniversary of Major Dhyanchand ji. And our country celebrates it as National Sports Day, in commemoration. A thought struck me, that perhaps, wherever Major Dhyanchand ji’s soul must be at the moment, it must be feeling overjoyed…since it was Dhyanchand ji’s hockey that brought glory to Indian hockey in the whole world. And four decades later, almost after 41 years, the youth of India, her sons and daughters, once again infused vitality in our hockey. And irrespective of the number of medals won, no citizen of India enjoys victory until a medal is won in hockey. And this time, in the Olympics, the medal that was won for hockey came our way after four decades. You can imagine…wherever Major Dhyanchand ji might be…his heart, his soul must be overflowing with joy. And the entire life of Dhyanchand ji was dedicated to Sports…and that is why today, when the youth of the country, our sons and daughters are visibly drawn towards sports, with even parents experiencing happiness on children coming forward in sports; this eagerness that one can see all over…I feel that itself is a great tribute to Major Dhyanchand ji.
Friends, whenever the subject of Sports and Games is touched upon, the entire young generation comes into view; naturally so. And when we cast a keen glance at the young generation, we notice a sweeping change there. The mind of the youth has undergone a transformation. And today’s young minds, shunning obsolete, age old methods and patterns, want to do something new altogether; something different. Today’s young mind does not want to tread readymade beaten paths; it wants to carve out newer paths. It wants to step on unknown territory. New destinations, new goals as well, new roads, new aspirations as well! And once a young person decides in the mind, no stone is left unturned in the pursuit…persevering day and night. We see how, some time ago, when India opened her Space Sector…within no time the young generation lapped up the opportunity. And to avail of its benefits, college students and young people working in Universities and the private sector enthusiastically came forward. And I firmly believe that in the coming days, a large number of satellites would be of those developed by our youth, our students, our colleges, our universities, students working in labs.
Similarly, wherever you see…go to any family…however well to do, however educated the family might be…if you speak to a young person in the family, she or he, moving away from family traditions, express the wish to do a start up or join a start up…excitedly willing to take a risk. Today, the startup culture is expanding even to smaller cities and I am seeing it as an indication of a bright future. Just a few days ago, toys in our country were being discussed. Within no time, when this caught the attention of our youth, they too resolutely decided to work towards positioning Indian toys in the world with a distinct identity. And they are trying out ever new experiments. The world is a huge market for toys…a market of 6 to 7 lakh crores. Today India’s share is miniscule. But, how to craft toys, what diversity to be lent to toys, what technology to be used, how toys should be, compatible with child psychology…these are points where the youth of the country is applying minds to…wishing to contribute something. Friends, there’s one more thing that fills the heart with joy and further strengthens the belief. And what is that…have you ever marked? Generally, what had crept into our fabric was acceptance of mediocrity…”It happens”, “It’s okay – this will do”! But now I’m noticing my country’s young minds focusing themselves on excellence. They want to do the best, using the best methods. This too will emerge as a major force for the nation.
Friends, this time, the Olympics have created a major impact. The events at the Olympics are over; the Paralympics are going on. Whatever our country earned in this world of Sports may be little in comparison with the world, but enough has happened to bolster our belief. Today, it is not that the youth is just watching sports…the youth is also looking at possibilities associated with Sports…observing the entire eco system minutely…comprehending its potential, wishing to connect with it in some way or the other. She or he now wants to surpass conventional ways and adopt new disciplines. And my dear countrymen, now that such a momentum has been built up…Sports has begun to be discussed in every family…do tell me…should this momentum be allowed to subside, to halt now? No…not at all. Even you must be thinking on the similar lines. In the country now, Sports and Games, sportsman spirit is not to stop. In family life, in social life, in the life of the Nation, this momentum has to be accorded permanence…infusing it with energy…replenishing it with relentless new energy. At home or elsewhere, in villages or cities, our playgrounds must be filled up. Let all play – let all bloom! And I’m sure you remember what I had said from Red Fort, “Sabka Prayas”…Yes…collective endeavour. It is only through collective endeavour of all that India will attain glorious heights in Sports that she rightfully deserves. On the course charted by people such as Major Dhyanchand ji we have to move forward…it’s our responsibility. After years has the country witnessed a period where, in families, in society, in States, in the Nation, all the people are single mindedly forging a bond with Sports.
My dear young friends, taking advantage of this opportunity, we must garner expertise in a variety of sports. In villages as well, sports competitions should be held successively. It is only through competition that a sport evolves…progresses…giving rise to sportspersons as an outcome. Come, let all us countrymen strive to further this momentum as much as we can…contributing whatever we can…let us transform the mantra of ‘Sabka Prayas’ into reality.
My dear countrymen, tomorrow also happens to be the grand festival of Janmashtmi. This festival of Janmashtami, that is the festival of birth of Bhagwan Shri Krishna. We are familiar with all the forms of Bhagwan, from naughty Kanhaiya to the one taking Colossal form Krishna, from the one well versed in scriptures to one skilled in weaponary. Be it art, beauty, charm, where all isn’t Krishna there! But I am saying all this because a few days before Jamashtami I had gone through an interesting experience. So I felt I should talk about this to you. You must be aware that on the 20th of this month the construction work related to Bhagwan Somnath temple has been dedicated to the people. 3-4 kilometers away from Somnath temple is the Bhalka Teerth, this Bhalka Teerth is the place where Bhagwan Shri Krishna spent his last moments on earth. In a way his Leelas, divine acts in this world culminated there. Many works for the development of that entire region are being done by the Somnath Trust. I was thinking of Bhalaka Teerth and the works going on there when I noticed a beautiful art-book. Someone had left this book for me outside my residence. In this there were many forms and many magnificent pictures of Bhagwan Shri Krishna. Pictures were very attractive and very meaningful. My curiosity grew all the more when I started turning the pages of the book. When I saw the book and all the pictures and the message for me written there, I felt l should meet the one who had left it for me. I should meet the one who has left the book outside my home. So my office contacted the person. Such was my curiosity on seeing the art-book, on seeing the different forms of Bhagwan Shri Krishna that I called the person to meet the very next day. With this curiosity I met Jaduarani Dasi ji. She is American, was born in America, brought up in America, Jadurani Dasi ji is connected to ISKCON, connected to Harey Krishna movement and one of her major specialities is that she is skilled in Bhakti Arts. You know that just after two days, on the 1st of September, we have the 125th birth anniversary of the founder of ISKCON Shri Prabhupaad Swami ji. Jadurani Dasi ji had come to India in this very connection. The question before me was that one who was born in America, who had been so far away from the Indian ethos; how could she make such attractive pictures of Bhagwan Shir Krishna! I had a long chat with her, but I want you to listen to some parts of it.
PM sir : Jadurani Ji, Hare Krishna!
I have read a little about Bhakti Art but tell our listeners more about it. Your passion and interest towards it is great.
Jadurani Ji : So, bhakti art we have one article in the bhakti art illuminations which explains how this art is not coming from the mind or imagination but it is from the ancient Vedic scriptures like Bhram Sanhita. Ven Omkaraya Patitam skilatam Sikand , from The Goswami’s of Vrindavan, from the Lord Brahma himself. Eeshwarah paramah krishnah sachchidanand vigrahah  how He carries the flute, how all of his senses can act for any other sense and Srimad bhagwatam   बर्हापींड नटवरवपुः कर्णयो: कर्णिकारं everything, He wears a karnika flower on his ear, He makes the impression of His Lotus feet all over the land of Vrindavan, the cow herds voicing of his Glories, His flute attracts the hearts and minds of all fortunate beings. So everything is from ancient Vedic scriptures and the power of these scriptures which are coming from transcendental personalities and the pure devotees who are bringing it the art has their power and that’s why its transformational, it is not my power at all.
PM Sir: Jadurani ji, I have different type of question for you. Since 1966 in a way and from 1976 physically you have been associated with India for long, will you please tell me what does India mean to you?
Jadurani Ji: Prime minister ji, India means everything to me. I was mentioning I think to Hon’ble President a few days ago that India has come up so much in technical advancement and following the west very well with Twitter and Instagram and iPhones and Big buildings and so much facility but I know that, that’s not the real glory of India. What makes India glorious is the fact that Krishna himself the avatari appeared here and all the avatars appeared here, Lord Shiva appeared here, Lord Ram appeared here, all the holy rivers are here, all the holy places of Vaishnav culture are here and so India especially Vrindavan is the most important place in the universe, Vrindavan is the source of all the Vaikunth planets, the source of Dwarika, the source of the whole material creation, so I love India.
PM Sir: Thank You Jadurani Ji. Hare Krishna!,
Friends, when the people of the world pay heed to Indian spiritual systems and philosophy today, then we also have a responsibility to carry forward these great traditions. That which has perished has to be left behind, but that which is timeless has to be carried forward. Let us celebrate our festivals, understand its scientific meaning, and the connotation behind it. Not only this, there is an underlying message in every festival; there is a Sanskar as well. We not only have to know it, live it and pass it on as a legacy for generations to come. I once again wish all the countrymen a very Happy Janmashtami.
My dear countrymen, during this Corona period, the myriad aspects of cleanliness that I should have touched upon; I feel, perhaps, that it saw a decrease. I also feel that we should not let the cleanliness campaign diminish even at the slightest. The examples of how efforts by everyone for nation building in turn lead to progress for all of us, also inspire us and infuse us with a new energy to do something, impart new confidence, give a meaning to our resolve. We know very well that whenever the topic Swachh Bharat Abhiyan comes up, the name of Indore also arises because Indore has created a special identity of its own in relation to cleanliness and the people of Indore are also entitled to felicitations. Our Indore has remained at number one in 'Swachh Bharat Ranking' for many years. Now the people of Indore do not want to sit satisfied with this ranking of Swachh Bharat, they want to move forward, want to do something new. And now they have decided to maintain a 'Water Plus City' and are striving for it with all their might.
'Water Plus City' means a city where no sewage is dumped into any public water source without treatment. The citizens here themselves have come forward and connected their drains with the sewer line. A Cleanliness campaign has also been started and due to this the polluted water draining in the Saraswati and Kanh rivers has also reduced considerably and an improvement is visible. Today, when our country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, we have to remember that we should never let the resolve of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan diminish. The greater the number of cities which are ‘Water Plus City' in our country, cleanliness will increase further, our rivers will also become clean and we will be fulfilling values associated with humane responsibility of conserving water.
Friends, before me is an example that has come from Madhubani in Bihar. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Agricultural University in Madhubani and the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra have jointly made a worthy effort. Not only farmers are accruing benefit from this scheme but it has also imparted renewed vigour to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The name of this initiative of the university is - "Sukhet Model" The purpose of the Sukhet model is to reduce pollution in the villages. Under this model, dung and other household waste is collected from the farmers of the village and in return the villagers are given money for cooking gas cylinders. The work of making vermicompost from the disposed garbage collected from the village is also ongoing. Therefore, there are four benefits of the Sukhet model that are directly visible. One, the village is freed from pollution; the second is that the village is freed from filth, the third is that the money for the LPG cylinder goes to the villagers and the fourth is that the farmers of the village get bio- fertilizer. You must give it a thought as to how such efforts can increase the power of our villages. This is the basis of self-reliance. I appeal that every panchayat of the country should also think of doing something like this in their respective villages. And friends, when we set out with a goal, it is certain that we achieve the results. Now look at our Kanjirangal Panchayat of Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu. See what this small panchayat has done, here you will get to see another model of wealth from the Waste. Here the Gram Panchayat along with the local people has started an indigenous project to generate electricity from waste in their village.The garbage is collected from the entire village, electricity is generated from it and the residual products are also sold as pesticides. The capacity of this village power plant is to dispose of two tonnes of waste per day. The electricity generated from this power plant is utilized for streetlights and other needs of the village. The money saved by the Panchayat through this scheme is being used for other developmental works. Now tell me, a small panchayat in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu inspires all of us countrymen to do something or not? They have achieved wonders, haven't they?
My dear countrymen,'Mann Ki Baat' is no longer confined to the borders of India. There is a discussion on 'Mann Ki Baat' in different corners of the world too. And there are people from our Indian community living abroad, who keep providing me with much new information. And I also like to sometimes share with you the unique programs that are going on abroad in 'Mann Ki Baat'. Even today I will introduce you to some such people, but before that I want to play an audio for you. Listen carefully.
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[रेडियो युनिटी नाईन्टी एफ्.एम्.-2]
नमोनमः सर्वेभ्यः | मम नाम गङ्गा | भवन्तः शृण्वन्तु रेडियो-युनिटी-नवति-
एफ्.एम् –‘एकभारतं श्रेष्ठ-भारतम्’ | अहम् एकतामूर्तेः मार्गदर्शिका एवं रेडियो-
युनिटी-माध्यमे आर्.जे. अस्मि | अद्य संस्कृतदिनम् अस्ति | सर्वेभ्यः बहव्यः
शुभकामनाः सन्ति| सरदार-वल्लभभाई-पटेलमहोदयः ‘लौहपुरुषः’ इत्युच्यते | २०१३-
तमे वर्षे लौहसंग्रहस्य अभियानम् प्रारब्धम् | १३४-टन-परिमितस्य लौहस्य गलनं
कृतम् | झारखण्डस्य एकः कृषकः मुद्गरस्य दानं कृतवान् | भवन्तः
शृण्वन्तु रेडियो-युनिटी-नवति-एफ्.एम् –‘एकभारतं श्रेष्ठ-भारतम्’ |
[रेडियो युनिटी नाईन्टी एफ्.एम्.-2]
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Friends, you must have understood the language. This was Sanskrit being spoken on the radio and the one speaking was RJ Ganga. RJ Ganga is a member of a group of Radio Jockeys in Gujarat. Her other companions are RJ Neelam, RJ Guru and RJ Hetal. All of them together in Gujarat, in Kevadiya are currently engaged in enhancing respect for the Sanskrit language. And you also know that this is the same Kevadiya where the world's tallest statue, the pride of our country, the Statue of Unity is located, that is the very Kevadiya I am talking about. And the radio jockeys are such that they wear multiple hats simultaneously. They also serve as guides, and also run the Community Radio Initiative, Radio Unity 90 FM. These RJs talk to their listeners in Sanskrit language, providing them with information in Sanskrit.
Friends, in these parts, it is said about Sanskrit
अमृतम् संस्कृतम् मित्र, सरसम् सरलम् वचः |
एकता मूलकम् राष्ट्रे, ज्ञान विज्ञान पोषकम् |
That is, our Sanskrit language is sweet and also simple.
Through its thoughts and medium of literary texts, Sanskrit helps nurture knowledge and also national unity, strengthens it. Sanskrit literature comprises the divine philosophy of humanity and knowledge which can captivate anyone’s attention. Recently, I got to know about many such people who are engaged in the inspirational work of teaching Sanskrit in foreign lands. One such person is Mr. Rutger Kortenhorst, a well-known Sanskrit scholar and teacher in Ireland who teaches Sanskrit to the children there. Sanskrit language also plays an important role in the strengthening of cultural relations between India and Ireland and between India and Thailand here in the east. Dr. Chirapat Prapandavidya and Dr. Kusuma Rakshamani, both of them are playing a very important role in the promotion of Sanskrit language in Thailand. They have also carried out comparative studies in literature of Thai and Sanskrit languages. Another such professor is Shriman Boris Zakharin, who teaches Sanskrit at Moscow State University in Russia. He has published many research papers and books. He has also translated many books from Sanskrit to Russian. Likewise,Sydney Sanskrit School is one of Australia's premier institutions, where Sanskrit language is taught to the students. For children, these schools also organize programs like Sanskrit Grammar Camp, Sanskrit Plays and Sanskrit Day.
Friends, the efforts which have been made in recent times have brought a new awareness about Sanskrit.Now is the time to increase our efforts in this direction. It is our collective duty to cherish our heritage, preserve it, pass it on to the new generation…. and future generations also have a right to it. Now is the time to increase everyone's efforts for these works as well. Friends, if you know of any such person engaged in this kind of effort, if you have any such information, then please share the information related to them on social media with the hashtag Celebrating Sanskrit.
My dear countrymen, in the next few days 'Vishwakarma Jayanti' will also be celebrated. Here, Bhagwan Vishwakarma is considered as a symbol of the creative power behind the genesis of the world. Whoever through their skill, builds an object..innovates... whether it is sewing-embroidery, software or satellite, all this is a manifestation of Bhagwan Vishwakarma. Even though skill is being recognized in a new way in the world today, our sages and seers have emphasized on skill and scale for thousands of years. They have interlinked skill, talent, ability with faith, thereby making it a part of the philosophy of our lives. Our Vedas have also dedicated many sookta to Bhagwan Vishwakarma. Whichever great creations are there, whatever new and big works have been done, our scriptures ascribe them to Bhagwan Vishwakarma. It is in a way a symbol of the thought that whatever development and innovation is happening in the world
happens only through skills.This is the very sentiment behind the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Vishwakarma and his worship. And this has been quoted in our scriptures too :
‘विश्वम कृत्-सन्म कर्म व्यापारो यस्य सः विश्वकर्मा’
Meaning, the one who takes all efforts in the process of creating and building is a Vishwakarma. In the view of our scriptures, all the skilled, talented people around us engaged in the process of creation and building are the legacy of Bhagwan Vishwakarma. Our lives without such individuals would be unfathomable.Think about it, if there is some problem with electricity in your house and you cannot find an electrician, how will it be? You will have to face a big hurdle! Our life goes on because of many such skilled people. Look around yourself; be it an ironsmith, a potter, a carpenter, an electrician, a house painter, a sanitation worker, or someone who repairs mobile-laptops. All of them are known only because of their skill. In modern form, all of them are also Vishwakarma. But friends, there is another aspect to it and it also sometimes causes concern. The situation in our country where culture, tradition, thinking, skill, manpower have been interlinked with Bhagwan Vishwakarma and how it has changed…. once upon a time, Kaushalya, our innate skills had a huge impact on our family life, social life and life of the natio. But during the long period of slavery and subjugation, the feeling that gave such respect to skill gradually faded into oblivion. The thinking became such that skill based tasks were considered inferior. And now see, today, the whole world is emphasizing the most on skill. The worship of Bhagwan Vishwakarma is also not to be completed only with formalities. We have to respect the talent, we have to work hard to be skilled. We should be proud to be skilled. When we do something new, innovate something, create something that will benefit the society, make people's life easier, then our Vishwakarma Puja will be meaningful. There is no dearth of opportunities for skilled people in the world today. Skills are forging multiple paths of progress. Come, this time let us take a pledge to follow the message of Bhagwan Vishwakarma along with faith in his worship. The spirit of our worship should be such that we understand the importance of skill, and also give full respect to skilled people, no matter what work they do.
This is the time of the 75th year of our Independence. This year we have to make new resolutions every day, think new, and bolster our spirit to do something new. When India completes one hundred years of Independence, then only these resolutions of ours will be seen in the foundation of its successes. So, we should not let this opportunity pass. We have to contribute our maximum in this. And in the midst of all these efforts, we have one more thing to remember. दवाई भी, कड़ाई भी...vaccinate and take precautions. More than 62 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country, but still we have to be careful, be vigilant. And yes, as always, whenever you do something new, think new, then definitely include me in that. I will be waiting for your letter and messages. With this wish, once again many felicitations to all of you for the upcoming festivals.
Thank you very much.
Namaskar!